Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. Blades Brown became the youngest PGA Tour winner in 95 years on Sunday when the 19-year-old rallied from a seven-stroke deficit with a 9-under 63 and beat Ben James with a birdie on the second playoff hole at the Tech World Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico. Brown became the youngest winner since Charles Kocsis won the Michigan Open in 1931 when he was 18, a tournament that was considered a regional event in the early years of the PGA. James lost a four-shot lead going into the final round at El Cardonal at Diamante and then showed his courage by hitting a 285-yard shot to 20 feet on the par-5 18th and making an eagle to save a 70 and force a playoff. But he missed an 8-foot putt on the second playoff hole, and Brown made his 3-footer. I am obsessed with this game. It tests you in so many ways,” said Brown, who graduated from high school in January. “I love golf, everything it entails, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.” For a quiet fall FedEx Cup event on the southern tip of Baja California, this was pure theatrics between two next-generation players. James was the No. 1-ranked player in the PGA Tour University last season. Brown made a surprising decision to turn pro two years ago, when he was a junior in high school. Brown put himself to the test. tested further by checking two bags of golf balls on the course waiting to see if the two-stroke lead he had over James would hold, and then returned to the 18th hole to decide it. On the first extra hole, their approach shots were side by side, about 3 feet apart, and they both narrowly missed eagle chances. They returned to the 18th tee and their drives were side by side. saw run 8 feet. Brown, who had a similar pitch in regulation that reached to 6 feet for a final birdie, this time came up 3 feet short. James’ birdie putt grazed the right edge and Brown scored the winning goal. They have known each other since their junior days and Brown believes this is the start. “I got it this time, but I’m sure we’ll be fighting for years to come,” he said. in a row to share the lead and then left the mistakes to everyone else. He made a magnificent birdie putt on the final hole to shoot 23-under 265. That put him one shot ahead of Michael Kim, who played with the Tennessee teenager and birdied from 12 feet for a 64 just before Brown made his putt. Brown earned his 2027 PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. has a two-year exemption, putting him in the elite Championship Series when the new PGA Tour model begins in 2028. The victory also secures Brown his first major next year at the PGA Championship It was another setback for James, who in 13 starts since turning pro has five top-five finishes and two second-place finishes Denny McCarthy, winless in nine years in 240 PGA Tour starts, made a birdie putt. 30 feet on the 13th hole to take the lead. But he made a pedestrian shot on the par-5 14th and had to settle for par. With a wedge in hand from the 15th fairway, he came up about 40 feet short and three-putted for bogey. McCarthy’s tee shot on the 17th was just off the tee on the 18th, and he hit his next shot from a dirt path into a hazard and made double bogey. He shot 69. Sudarshan Yellamaraju was the top Canadian, finishing tied for 12th at 17 under par.
